A pair of notable free agents joined new teams this afternoon. With those moves complete, we’ll round up a few more odds and ends from the weekend.
- Nationals’ shortstop Trea Turner underwent surgery on his problematic index finger last November. Now, he’s primed to enter 2020 at full strength, he tells reporters (including Mark Zuckerman of MASN). “I’ve started hitting. I can hit with 10 fingers, so it’s good,” Turner told reporters. As Zuckerman notes, Turner played almost all of the 2019 season with nine healthy fingers after fracturing the digit on a hit-by-pitch in the first week of April. The injury hardly seemed to hold him back, as Turner slashed .298/.353/.497 (117 wRC+) with 19 home runs and 35 stolen bases as Washington’s primary shortstop and leadoff hitter.
- Drew Pomeranz had upwards of six offers this offseason, he tells Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Nevertheless, the Padres’ surprising decision to offer a four year deal, coupled with Pomeranz’s enjoyable experience in his prior stint in San Diego, inspired him to rejoin the Friars. As Sanders details, the 31-year-old is a much different pitcher than he was in 2016, when he earned his only All-Star appearance in San Diego. Pomeranz made a full-time move to the bullpen last season in San Francisco, and a velocity uptick and increased willingness to attack the strike zone helped him dominate following a midseason trade to the Brewers.
- Following their extension last week, the White Sox have now invested over $100MM in Luis Robert before his major league debut, observes Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic. As Rosenthal explains, the Sox paid over $25MM in overage taxes while guaranteeing Robert $26MM as an amateur under the prior international spending rules. (Spending on international amateurs was hard capped following the 2016-17 signing period, so deals like Robert’s are no longer permissible). Nevertheless, Rosenthal argues, the extension makes perfect sense for the White Sox. Not only does it grant Chicago an extra season of team control, it creates a ceiling for Robert’s earnings in arbitration, he points out. While Robert was wise to secure the guarantee, Rosenthal opines, the agreement serves as the latest reminder that MLB’s economic landscape drastically underpays players at the beginnings of their careers, when they are likely to be their most productive. MLBTR readers certainly anticipate Robert’s becoming an impact player, with 56% of poll voters forecasting him to exceed 2.3 wins above replacement in his first season.
White Sox payroll sits at 118 million even after all these offseason signings. Those deals they gave to Eloy and Robert don’t hurt them in the long haul. Especially since most of the FAs they acquired will be gone after 2022.
@Megatron2005
Absolutely. Unless either or both bust, those will be good (or even great) extensions down the road.
Out of all their F/A signings this Winter, only Grandal, Keuchel, and Abreu are guaranteed a job after this season. Even Mazara could be non-tendered if he busts this year. Technically the only other guaranteed money after the season are TA, Eloy and Robert (though obviously guys like Yoan, Giolito, Cease, Kopech, etc. are safe beyond this season).
Shakes my head thinking about Pom n his poor performances while in Boston. What a waste of a trade.
Yeah, Anderson Espinoza is just dominating as of late.
Pom was ok but inconsistent in Boston. If he can stay healthy, he should again do well in SD.
He was horrible in Boston. Horrible. Could not be counted upon.
I’d be bummed too! Anderson Espinoza has been lights out for the Pads!
He had TJ and hasn’t pitched for quite some time… but he’s still 21 and should still be a win for SD
He has had 2 Tommy John surgeries since then. He will be lucky if his arm is still attached to his body by the time he turns 30. Definitely not a win for the Padres.
@Javia
That’s assuming an awful lot about the future my friend…
Can you name a starter that came back after 2 Tommy John surgeries and pitched well?
After some cursory research, I couldn’t find any. In fact, the pitchers who come back from one and have success seem to be in the overall minority.
It’s just like you to stick up for An Espinosa lol
Espinoza has been masterful ..one can say he has had multiple outings with Surgical precision..
I… I think this went over some guys’ heads.
Delusional Padre fans thought they were getting Pedro Martinez at time
Please change your screen name. It is so tired. You say the same things in every post. Go back and look at what Boston fans thought they were giving up in that trade. Espinosa was a top prospect, albeit a young one. Unfortunately he got injured.
He was an over-hyped prospect in Low-A ball. Even before the TJ, he wasn’t exactly dominating.
@padreforlife … That’s true. On Gaslamp, anybody who questioned that deal was immediately attacked by the “HomerHalfDozen,” aka the Preller Patrol.
“roydjt,” and “el mariachi mike” are way worse
Exactly. The “roy” guy believes he owns the site and controls who gets to post and what their opinion should be. I haven’t posted there in a few years, but its still funny (in a sad way) to read the posts. Their traffic has been going down since 2013 or so. Way down.
Huge! May never pitch healthy again.
Didn’t he win 17 games there?
Pomeranz had a good season in Boston in 2017.
Giving him 4 years seems delusional, but that’s a total Preller type of move.
What a waste of a trade.
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3.9 RS WAR for a guy that might not make the pros? Are you serious?
Pomeranz was the Red Sox 2nd best pitcher in 2017 with 32 starts and a 3.32 ERA. Only Sale was better. SMH
I hated that trade. Pom was the only bright spot on the team. Once every 5 days, we had something to cheer for and a realistic chancd of winning a game. And Preller traded him even-up for a Low-A pitching prospect. Still smh.
when the White Sox win the central… it won’t be a surprise.. The Twins ownership has had many years since the public built them a stadium to spend money and lock up players.. as per their testimony to the Minnesota Senate those many years ago… which they have not.. they have chosen instead to sell people the word ” competitive”.. and they are good salesmen…
As a twins fan, I find this both uninformed and offensive. The moves they made last offseason, propelled the team to record heights. The front office deserves tons of credit for that. The current team is in a great spot financially having the flexibility to extend their young core as well as adding pieces down the road. How on earth can you blame a front office willing to spend $$ on players who don’t want to play for them?!? Not their fault. These chicago moves have been plentiful but lets not forget that they are playing catchup in a division with two loaded teams at the top (twins and indians).
Unloading very quickly…
as a twins fan since the 1960’s who actually spent time at the State Legislature when the Twins were lobbying for public money for a new stadium.. who sta thru their testimony where they said the new stadium was to generate money to keep its stars and add talent a.. I have seen that they lied to the public.. This year they will spend less ( given baseball inflation ) on players than they did in 2011 ( unless they do some real spending NOW .. … as fotr the Notion the players don’t want to come here.. its funny as most players for the Twins have loved the Team and Minnesota.. the real reason is the Team will not make the commitment to building a winner.. Terry Ryan never once when all in and gambled .. The New front office is doing the same thing.. They haven’t gambled to WIN.. and player don’t want to just go playe to play.. they want to win… every one of them especially the top tier players.. They want that WS ring on their resume… the are playing at being competitive.. which means that they have to overpay to get the same talent as teams that actually look like they are trying to win… Being ” competitive” sells tickets and that make the Po’lad’s happy as they aren’t spending the money generated by the cash Cow Known as Target field which was funded mostly by public dollars… I’m sorry you don’t know the history here…..
It’s tough though because while talking about the team spending is nice, it’s baseball so if you are a liberal spender and make a few bad decisions you suddenly have $50m of sunk costs for non-performers on your books for years into the future.
That being said I think they could have been more aggressive offering high value one- or two-year deals to some relievers, maybe a stronger offer to Hamels or Encarnacion, Donaldson at four years isn’t that bad of a risk to me, etc. Losing two of their top three innings guys (330 innings) does seem risky with Homer Bailey as your “reliable” replacement, I guess the idea is the farm will replace the innings.
last season By the end of May they should have known they were headed to the post season.. their needs.. starting pitching same as now.. they Knew they would need starting pitching for this year.. Instead of strengthening the team last year and this by trading for the thing they most desperately need AN ACE.. the threw away a chance at the world series… not willing to spend prospect capitol and taking on salary for a shot at the title and all they while improving the team this year.. This off season more of the same.. While Hitting sells tickets and Home runs wows fans.. Pitching carries you thru the post season unless you are counting on blind luck.. and while luck is an important part of the game it is the one thing you CAN”t count on..
The Indians were not eliminated until the final week but the Twins should have known in May that they had it locked down? Also it’s nice to say they should sign or trade for an ace but who specifically are they supposed to acquire? There are only a handful of those guys and everyone wants one.
Jon gray
Yes they should have: I did i said so i posted it many times… I f you can’t read your team and the seasons.. you don’t belong in the front office..
I still find it puzzling they built an outdoor stadium in Minnesota.
That may be the most whiny post I have seen on here. Twins win 100 games and all you can do is whine they didn’t sign a big free agent even though they have been bidding on nearly every one? GET OFF MY LAWN @someoldguy.
WTF are you talking about? No team knows in May that they are going to the post season.
Teams don’t just get to trade or sign an ACE. In either case, its not their choice. All they can do is make an offer. The Twins made offers.
Pull your head out.
Loaded???? Offensively, the Twins set a record for home runs last season, but their pitching did not fair as well. Odorizzi was solid in the first half, but regressed in the second half. Berrios is good. After that you got nothing spectacular. The Twins were one year removed from a 78 win season and had an outlier season. Nothing they did last year projects to another 100 win season. Moreover, Steamer projections show regression accross the board. Its no wonder when they faced good pitching in the playoffs they were dispatched rather easily. Insofar as the Pohlads are concerned, i cant speak intelligently about something I don’t know. I can tell you this, the Twins might not be loaded, but the POHLADS are.
Exactly My point: Opportunity doesn’t come all the time: you must take advantage of it when it does: they had the Offense.. They needed a Minimum of 1 Top LINE ace pitcher to have a real shot at the series.. Because pitching is the largest key to winning post seasons.. The twins never do that.. they wouldn’t trade for that ACE they needed.. they are to busy selling promises of tomorrow
WAAAAAAAA! Would you like some cheese with that whine?
They have made some very solid signings over the last 5 years. But the Twins haven’t been able to land one of those legit top tier Free Agent. Too some degree the increase in Market price and length of contract has hampered them.
But they have tried in several cases that are public record. Your comment implies they have not even tried. I would point out they still have the Donaldson offer on the table….And the asking price for the top tier free agents has gone through the roof the last three years I really believe the Twins have done the best they can under their circumstance. Look to the Farm my firend.
Sounds like the same song the Pirates sung for their stadium and then didn’t do anything to commit to winning
they tried is BS.. making low ball offers for top flight players isn’t trying.. and mostly what you find is they talk a lot about their effort.. but they didn’t offer… the fact is they will have to overpay because they aren’t willing to committee to winning.. no player wants to hear.. we are in it to try… and as A fan i hate it that they got all that public money and don’t spend it as promised.. They refuse to go all in.. Just like last season.. a total surrender of the season by the trade deadline KNOWING the needed at least 1 Front line starter..and more than 1 for the following years.. how many did they get… none..
Last year they locked up Kepler and Polanco… this year Sano, so what you’re saying is just not true.
so what have they done since the new stadium in 2010… ?????? how many players did they add.. ???? long term?????? .. 1 year.. out of 11 years.. isn’t effort..
http://www.startribune.com/as-stadium-deals-go-target-field-has-been-a-winner-for-minnesota/507429552/
2017 and 2019 in the postseason. You claim to be a Twins fan but don’t even know their record.
White Sox win the Central rofl!
which they have not.. they have chosen instead to sell people the word ” competitive”..
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The WS have missed the playoffs for 11 straight years. Save the tough talk until you accomplish something.
Mr Robert’s Neighborhood
Most of my Chicago tax dollars go to the southside, but not for a new stadium down there…..
Got news for you! Your OLD tax dollars built that stadium for Reinsdorf – and still supports yearly upgrades.
That’s as offensive as it is untrue, Bradley.
to clean up the bodies every Friday and Saturday night?
2020 ROY ROBERT!
That honor will go to Jesus Luzardo.
Pitchers almost never win ROY. Luzardo will not. I kinda doubt Robert will either.
Pretty sure 365 days ago ChiSoxFan was proclaiming 2019 ROY ELOY too and he didn’t finish in the top 3 of the voting.
Nobody saw Alvarez coming; most people thought it’d be Vlad, Jr. Eloy would likely have finished top 3, though, had it not been for a couple of injuries and struggling to find his rhythm after. His talent was obvious during a monster Sep/Oct when he hit .340 with 9HR’s and an OPS of 1.093. 31 HR’s to lead all AL rookies is still pretty good.
Spending money does not create a winning team. Spending it on game changing players does. Let’s see how wise the White Sox are at spending. My guess is hype than wins.
Teams that win the offseason don’t win the regular season very often. 2016 Dodgers. 2015 Padres. 2014 Mariners. Come to mind.
Getting bounced from the Giants mostly bad rotation last year is probably the best thing that ever happened to Pomerantz. He definitely wasn’t going to see any multiple year offers in the 30MM range as a 5th starter.
Four years for Pomeranz is still baffling. Did AJ Preller think he was talking to Kirby Yates’ agent?
The ways of AJ are mysterious…
And dumb
That’s a big gamble on a relief pitcher even if that pitcher is lights out at the peak of his career. Odds are SD will regret this signing sooner rather than later. Preller seems to have a penchant for overpaying players on long term contracts.
I have to wonder if the Padres wanted to float this news about other offers to help justify the Drew Pomeranz signing.
It just seems so outrageously overvalued, there’s got to be overall fan reaction similar to mine, which is “bad deal!”
There is. Except for the die-hard Preller loyalists, a LOT of people are scratching their heads over this deal.
I would have a hard time going 2 years 10 million
Now why is Rosenthal going around and stirring up all
this trouble? Doesn’t he know
who butters his bread!!??
I can’t understand why mediocre starters wouldn’t want to become great bullpen pitchers.
I love how this highlights the lunacy of AJ Preller. The Pomeranz deal wouldn’t be so bad if he wasn’t already buried in bad decisions.
I like Turner as an extension candidate. 5/$75m locks in good money but still lets him reach free agency at a decent age.
Not remotely close. I’m guessing that the arbitration years will be about $45-50M. He’s not giving you $25M for the next two.
Dream on Turner will not get that no way,
Just out of curiosity, how much do you think he will get in arbitration over the next three years?
Padres will be lucky to get 2 good years from often hurt Pomeranz
Article emphasizes how players are underpaid in their early seasons but what about the total cost when you consider salaries and bonuses for players who never pan out?
Still significantly favors the underpaid side
Shhhhh…that doesn’t fit the narrative.
It is really only a small portion of players that get big bonuses. Less than 100 of the 1217 players drafted in 2019 got $1M signing bonuses. All told, the bonus pool for all clubs was about $266M, or less than $9M/team. That’s for about 40 guys. Minor league salaries are very low. About $40k in AAA and that’s as high as it gets.
Baseball teams come out way ahead on young talent economically, even when you figure in the busts. They make money off even the high draft picks that do get big bonuses. When a 4th rounder becomes an every day player, the signing, development cost, and first few years of salary are practically a rounding error compared to the value they generate.
MLB and NFL rookie salaries are about the same. Differences of course but at least baseball players have opportunities be it the minors, Japan, etc. Such is way more than the XFL or CFL.
I know it’ll never happen, but I wish contracts were based more on metrics of value added. There could be a certain multiplier (close to, but below, 1) for guys on their rookie deals to account for the busts and make it possible for small-market teams to still have talented players, but it’s ridiculous that Trout, after placing 2nd in MVP voting in his rookie season, got about the league minimum the next season. Likewise, if a guy like Pujols starts to really suck, their pay should go down accordingly. Again, I know neither side will ever go for this, but it would be fairer than the current system that robs the players early in their careers and then often hoses the teams later in the careers.
All that matters is that both sides agree to it. For every Trout, there is a Pujols.
The answer is simple.
MLB needs to have the same system as the NFL and NBA.
Once a player is drafted or signed, the clock starts, even if you have to stash them on the practice squad or in the developmental league. And the period before free agency needs to be shortened significantly.
That would reward teams for drafting/scouting well, and having solid player development systems.
It’s the only professional league that punishes players for actually being good, and incentives blatant player exploitation.
And bad organizations are the worse offenders, because they are terrified they can’t restock talent.
The problem with that is it would discourage teams from signing kids out of HS or 18 year old international players since the teams expect them to take longer to develop. You could base it on 40 man roster time instead of 25 since you have to either put a player on the 40 man or expose him to Rule 5 after a certain amount of time.
They could still play games with adding to the 40 man, but only for so long and it would be harder for them to do.
You could also base it on age, with the clock starting at age 23 or age 24.
But it would be impossible to covert the MLB into a FB-style setup, since most of the kids drafted in FB can already play immediately.
What?
“Once a player is drafted or signed, the clock starts, even if you have to stash them on the practice squad or in the developmental league. And the period before free agency needs to be shortened significantly.”
You can’t expect them to do both of those. Pick one and you might have something (but still probably not).
Why shorten the time for free agency these guys are making big bucks once they hit free agency more in one yr than most common folks in a lifetime
Lefty specialists aren’t as valued as before, with the new 3 batter min rule. Preller gives a 31 year old one 4 years anyway.
that’s the only way anyone is coming to the Padres, last place is not going to evoke many FA’s to sign here unless their overpaid, that’s a fact
It’s head scratching why any team, let alone six teams, would want Pom. He’s awful
Time will tell but its not your money so don’t worry about it
I wonder how many of those “offers” were minor league deals and/or incentive heavy contracts? My gut tells me that most were.
All he could get a year ago was $1.5M for 1 year. And then he stunk with the Gnats. It’s a big gamble based upon a relatively small sample size and an aging arm.